Not sure what your weather is doing down there in Caintuk, here in Pennsyltucky it's breezy and overcast. Almost chilly it seems.
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2024/2025 Squirrel Hunting Thread...........
- Thread starter ETipp
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Tom, it’s been a mix of clouds, lots of rain, windy, sun with cooler temperatures here since spring.
Not favorable at all for squirrel hunting.
My son ran that one over with his lawnmower yesterday. He said it was 37” long.
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Now for the latest, in terms of squirrel rifles.
A couple of days ago, after texting and informing my wonderful wife that I'm very serious about a SMR purchase, she replied by stating that she's going to "list me on Market Place to try to get rid of me". I mean, not even one of those "back to the camper with you, Ed" this time.
The nerve of that old nag!
In the meantime, I'm still saving up all the "fun tickets" I can get.
Dont you think its well over time you broke the news that she didnt marry some nondescript "Joe average" guy called "Ed" ?
SHE MARRIED HENRY FRAPP for gawds sake ...."doncha want have fun anymore" 1
You have a good point.
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You have a good point.
Keith and Heston / Heston and Keith were real character actors and their individual roles in "The Mountain Men" were the peak of it in their latter years IMO, for me that movie is an escape from the madness nowadays.
Bowyers will buy those skins. My Morrison TD has Copperhead Skins on the limbs.
Indeed they do, Tom.
I'm looking for either a large copperhead skin or a large rattlesnake skin to put on my leather hat. I have an old sidewinder skin I brought home for AZ when I used to fly down there but its been in the freezer for many years now that its most likely freezer burned. I really do need to dig it out of the full freezer and see.
I know, right? Good point. Gotta love how they started that movie off with such a great scene.
Actually, the old gal is warming up to the idea now. She knows it's most likely inevitable. Just have to keep saving up those "Fun Tickets" as I get them.
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Somewhere in my stashes of "this will be important someday" items, I have an article I saved for processing snake skins.
Get some alum or borax from the drug store and put on under side let sit for a while then rub some oil on it and work it in.
When you buy your fishing licence here in PA, they now ask you if you want a snake permit. I always chuckle and say "h3!! NO", I don't like seeing them on accident, let alone going and looking for them.
Suspicions confirmed!
Another morning squirrel hunt today. Got to the woods at 0710. I eased around for over two hours. I began down low and worked my way up high. Actually covered a lot of ground. Not the first squirrel to be found.
Deciding I had enough of that silliness but not wanting to give up, I made my way down the mountain to my 4-wheeler and headed down the road to another happy hunting grounds. Was on the go again by 0940 hours easing around through some sapling covered areas. At 0954 I saw my first squirrel of the day, and lo and behold, it was on the ground...........finally! Come to find out, there were two of them together with one heading straight towards me. He stopped by a tree and a big rock about 18 yards away and................"Poof" he gone, never be seen again. Turned my attention to the other one that took me a few minutes to locate it. When I did, it was traveling in the opposite direction, and...........just like that "Poof" he gone too. So two more ghost squirrels.
I have been noticing that, what few squirrels I have been seeing lately are down low and closer to the narrow county road. So my plan when going to this hunting grounds was to circle around uphill a ways and then ease my way back down and parallel the road just up in the woods a little ways then walk back to my 4-wheeler.
After those two ghost squirrels vanished on me, I put the second part of my plan to work. I eased back downhill to where I could see the road. Right off the bat I saw a squirrel on the ground. It was lolly-gagging parallel to the road about 40 yards up and along a limestone out cropping. It went through the fence onto someone else's property. End of that sneak.
Easing my way back I saw some more squirrels but I was not able to connect. By that time it was 1120 hours and getting warm out. One of my suspicions was that the squirrels were coming out later in the day and so far, it was proving to be correct. At 1125 hours a large squirrel was hopping downhill a ways, stopped, and sat up on its hind feet. Lucky for me, I had stopped next to a tree so it was an easy shot. After wiping out the bore and reloading, I retrieved my squirrel and pinned it on my side.
Easing along towards my 4-wheeler more, I saw a few more squirrels but couldn't make it happen. Then, finally, there in front of me was one on the ground. It saw me then jumped up on a dead snag about 4 feet tall and looked at me. Bad mistake for that squirrel. It was about 1215 when I got my last one for the day. I had been out and on the go for just under 6 hours. I had seen 11 squirrels total and only got two of them, but at least they were on the ground again.
Now for my suspicions that were proven.
The first one I got was darn near midday. I had suspicioned that may have been the case.
Second suspicion. Due to the season being every bit of 3 weeks ahead of time this spring, I had thought that perhaps there might be some nuts forming up in the trees already. Well, that too, was proven. I found a few hickory nuts that were much larger than I thought possible for this time of year. Both had been chewed on by squirrels.
Third suspicion. This one saddened me big time. Again, due to being ahead on the season, I had wondered about perhaps if mating season had already come and gone without me knowing it. Well, the first squirrel I got this morning was a large sow. She was very fat and had big teats. I squeeze a couple of them and she was definitely lactating. I thought the worse but I lucked out when cleaning her. She was not pregnant but that leaves suspicion as to whether or not she had little ones in a nest. My guess is, she did but I hope I'm wrong.
Pics on the way.
Another morning squirrel hunt today. Got to the woods at 0710. I eased around for over two hours. I began down low and worked my way up high. Actually covered a lot of ground. Not the first squirrel to be found.
Deciding I had enough of that silliness but not wanting to give up, I made my way down the mountain to my 4-wheeler and headed down the road to another happy hunting grounds. Was on the go again by 0940 hours easing around through some sapling covered areas. At 0954 I saw my first squirrel of the day, and lo and behold, it was on the ground...........finally! Come to find out, there were two of them together with one heading straight towards me. He stopped by a tree and a big rock about 18 yards away and................"Poof" he gone, never be seen again. Turned my attention to the other one that took me a few minutes to locate it. When I did, it was traveling in the opposite direction, and...........just like that "Poof" he gone too. So two more ghost squirrels.
I have been noticing that, what few squirrels I have been seeing lately are down low and closer to the narrow county road. So my plan when going to this hunting grounds was to circle around uphill a ways and then ease my way back down and parallel the road just up in the woods a little ways then walk back to my 4-wheeler.
After those two ghost squirrels vanished on me, I put the second part of my plan to work. I eased back downhill to where I could see the road. Right off the bat I saw a squirrel on the ground. It was lolly-gagging parallel to the road about 40 yards up and along a limestone out cropping. It went through the fence onto someone else's property. End of that sneak.
Easing my way back I saw some more squirrels but I was not able to connect. By that time it was 1120 hours and getting warm out. One of my suspicions was that the squirrels were coming out later in the day and so far, it was proving to be correct. At 1125 hours a large squirrel was hopping downhill a ways, stopped, and sat up on its hind feet. Lucky for me, I had stopped next to a tree so it was an easy shot. After wiping out the bore and reloading, I retrieved my squirrel and pinned it on my side.
Easing along towards my 4-wheeler more, I saw a few more squirrels but couldn't make it happen. Then, finally, there in front of me was one on the ground. It saw me then jumped up on a dead snag about 4 feet tall and looked at me. Bad mistake for that squirrel. It was about 1215 when I got my last one for the day. I had been out and on the go for just under 6 hours. I had seen 11 squirrels total and only got two of them, but at least they were on the ground again.
Now for my suspicions that were proven.
The first one I got was darn near midday. I had suspicioned that may have been the case.
Second suspicion. Due to the season being every bit of 3 weeks ahead of time this spring, I had thought that perhaps there might be some nuts forming up in the trees already. Well, that too, was proven. I found a few hickory nuts that were much larger than I thought possible for this time of year. Both had been chewed on by squirrels.
Third suspicion. This one saddened me big time. Again, due to being ahead on the season, I had wondered about perhaps if mating season had already come and gone without me knowing it. Well, the first squirrel I got this morning was a large sow. She was very fat and had big teats. I squeeze a couple of them and she was definitely lactating. I thought the worse but I lucked out when cleaning her. She was not pregnant but that leaves suspicion as to whether or not she had little ones in a nest. My guess is, she did but I hope I'm wrong.
Pics on the way.
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Spot on with your suspicions. Sounds like covered alot if ground. Ol Henry has been given the squirrels a run for their money, when the wife let's him out between 8 and 10. Our hickory trees are full. Looks like it will a good year for acorns, last year the oaks were not very productive. To bad about the sow, atleast she wasn't carrying babies.
Glad you were able to get out and get ya couple. I'm waiting for the 1st. I'll be shooting again come Saturday, justcwant to fine tune the Crockett a little bit more.
I brought up squirrel hunting to a couple guys on the job site, they looked at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears, laughed and asked me was I serious. I just told I gotta go check on the guys. Some folks just don't get.
It is a Squirrel Thing.
Thanks Ed.
Glad you were able to get out and get ya couple. I'm waiting for the 1st. I'll be shooting again come Saturday, justcwant to fine tune the Crockett a little bit more.
I brought up squirrel hunting to a couple guys on the job site, they looked at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears, laughed and asked me was I serious. I just told I gotta go check on the guys. Some folks just don't get.
It is a Squirrel Thing.
Thanks Ed.
Ed, We have more crows hanging around this year. They act as sentries for all the varmints and deer plundering my plant beds and back property, caw cawing when we walk out the door. Deer, ground hogs, squirrels, everything scatters. Are they doing that to you in the woods? Just a thought...
I've noticed more than usual around here to Hammer. I figured they were just here for the chow. I may set up a separate feeding station for them. Maybe they'll bring me a gold coin or something
No shortage of crows around here, Stan.
As a matter of fact, they have been giving me some problems in the woods the last few times out but in a different capacity. Their young are coming off the nests and yelling as they learn to fly tree to tree. That gets many mature crows cawing, especially if there’s any danger to the young ones. It’s terribly loud in these mountains here. So loud that it blankets out anything else. It varies as to how long they stick around in one area but it is a detractor from my squirrel hunting. Today it seemed to take them maybe .45 minutes or more before they moved on.
Whenever they see a hawk, things become real loud.
Good luck fine tuning your squirrel rifle, Fred. It sure is a confidence builder once you get it done. I’m sure you will score big this year.
You’re correct, some folks just don’t get it. Personally, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Squirrel hunting with a traditional muzzleloader that has open sights is one of the most enjoyable and challenging things I have ever done.
We used to have an owl that hung around out back a couple years ago. The crows would pester the snot out of that owl. Since it moved on, haven't had as many crows around.
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